Manalapan restaurant owner indicted for filing false business and personal income tax returns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 25, 2011

TRENTON, N.J. – Michael Logan, 44, a Jackson, N.J. man made his initial appearance in Trenton federal court today after being indicted for making and subscribing to false corporate, partnership, and personal federal income tax returns, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Logan is charged in a nine-count Indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Trenton on March 24, 2011, with making and subscribing to federal income tax returns that he did not believe to be true and correct as to every material matter. Counts One through Four relate to corporate returns for 2004 through 2007 that Logan filed for his restaurant, Michael’s Cucina Italia. Count Five relates to a partnership income tax return for 2007 that Logan filed in connection with his restaurant. And Counts Six through Nine relate to Logan’s personal tax returns for 2004 through 2007.

Logan appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman this afternoon in Trenton and was released on a $100,000 unsecured appearance bond.

According to the Indictment filed in Trenton federal court:

Logan is the owner and operator of ITI, Inc., doing business as Michael’s Cucina Italia, a restaurant in Manalapan. Logan maintained a ledger detailing all of his restaurant’s sales. Logan, however, did not rely on this ledger when preparing his corporate, partnership, or personal tax returns. Instead, he relied on business bank account information, which did not reflect the true earnings of the business, as Logan did not deposit all of the restaurant’s earnings into the business bank account.

If convicted, Logan faces a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $100,000 fine on each count of the Indictment.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Victor W. Lessoff, with the investigation leading to the Indictment.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Davenport of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Trenton Office and Tino Lisella of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

The charges and allegations contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.